The Snowdroppers

The Stiffys, Little Bastard and the Snowdroppers. Three quite different bands.

The Stiffys have the strangest line-up I've ever seen. They're a two piece alternate rock band, with just a drummer and bassist/singer, but at different times, they brought on stage the “Stiflets”, three girls who play trumpets, and Mel, another girl who sings and plays a drum. Then the Stifflets would go offstage, and it was just the two of them, again. Talk about breaking the rules. Their songs are mainly about erections... and.... well, not much else but, surprisingly, they were really good live.

So we go from a (mostly) two piece to a 7 piece...string band? Or a country band? I'm not sure. The venue had become quite crowded by then, and it was clear that the band has attracted a following. Lot of instruments, including a tambourine, banjo, harmonica. There was even a “drummer” who sat on a drum and just slapped it. Despite the crowded stage of instruments, it never drowned out the hooks or the singing. I’m not really a fan of country, but I enjoyed what Little Bastards had to offer.

Snowdroppers are a blues rock band, who dropped their latest album last week. It has some killer tunes that you should totally check out. The band played relatively simple tracks, with some cover song snippets for good measure. They've had had the honour of touring the United States as well as playing festivals back home, breeding a confidence in the lads that shows.

Frontman Johnny Wishbone had an amazing onstage charisma and was able to work the crowd effortlessly. He had the crowd yelling chants and singing melodies and words. These guys perform like a well established act, and it’s time for them to get big around the world.